• by Shirley Engelmeier , May 8, 2014

Communicators have long been exhorted to “get inside the heads” of their target audiences. That may seem easy enough when the audience is “just like you.” But here’s the thing:  nowadays, rarely is any audience just like you. Everyone in the great melting pot of the 21st century represents not only different ages and ethnicities, but different socioeconomic backgrounds, different beliefs and different values.

Today’s communicators must not only be articulate, they must be socially open to a wide range of inputs, committed to not only listening—but hearing—the ideas of others. They must be inclusive.

We all serve in leadership roles and the ability to manage inclusively is critical in an environment increasingly populated with members of Gen Y, where technology both enables and challenges the ability to get your key messages through to those you wish to influence.

How can you communicate effectively in this complex environment? By recognizing that you don’t know what you don’t know and that you can only learn by leveraging the input of others—particularly the input of those who are not like you.

To be an inclusive leader, recognize that inclusive leadership is about being intellectually curious, culturally agile and adaptable, and being collaborative. It’s also about actively seeking to draw input and insights from others. If you’re a Baby Boomer delivering a message to a Gen Y audience, you should talk about what’s important to them and gather ideas from your audience before saying a single word.

Also, do more than listen—to hear. We all have biases and misperceptions about people and issues. Often, when we feel we are listening, we are really engaged in our own internal dialogue, a dialogue that involves disagreeing with what we’re hearing.

And give up command-and-control. In your role as a communicator you may be responsible for coordinating the work of others. Gone are the days where that coordination involves simply giving orders. Today’s inclusive leaders invite participation and collaboration from those they interact with regardless of their role or level within the organization.

In any environment where it is vital to get your messages to those you wish to influence, success will come to those who effectively understand the diversity of the audiences they interact with and who leverage inclusive leadership communications skills to guarantee results.